I took the 9:15 am flight out of Sibu to head over to KL for the weekend. My sister is getting married later tonight in PJ so that’s why I took three (3) days unpaid leave to extend my support over here. Anyway, I bumped into a friend on the flight (actually bumped into quite a few people) and sat beside her and decided to sample the new AirAsia menu.
AirAsia has come up with some nifty marketing that ties in their menu with brands like 1901 hotdogs and other franchises. The Snack Attack hot meals packs have also been given a facelift, with standardized features. The hot meal packs now come with full color transparent heat seals with photos and the name of the dish.
This is 1902 Gourmet Food Asian Fried Rice with Chicken Satay (RM 9). AirAsia has a history of partnering up with established catering establishments for their meals – Sri Melur Jaya is a renowned restaurant in Selangor that provides a large portion of their hot on-board meals.
I had the 1902 Gourmet Food Asian Fried Rice with Chicken Satay (it’s actually mini satay sticks) while my musically inclined friend opted for the Sri Melur Jaya Nasi Briyani with Curry Chicken (RM 8). We both shared the Sri Melur Jaya Roti Jala (RM 6).
The Sri Melur Jaya Roti Jala turned out to be the best dish of all – taste and presentation wise. It’s quite spicy, which is always a plus point for me.
The total came up to RM 27 with a bottle of mineral water. I could have eaten better for less, but eh, it was fun to binge on food on an airplane and I’ve wanted to check out the new menu for quite a while. P/S – sixthseal.com is still a bit messed up from the backups. Some images are missing but I promise I’ll get that fixed once I go back to Sibu. I’m currently in KL. Cheers!
sixthseal.com was down for nearly two days coz my previous host suspended my account without notifying me of the reason(s) or replying to any of my emails. I think it’s due to the content from the archives, but somehow, from browsing through web hosting forums, it seems that the hosting company in question has a less-than-stellar reputation, to say the least.
I know I have been overloading their server (it seems that they only have one) from the CGI pulls and I have noticed my blog getting slower and slower especially when commenting. That would probably have been the prime reason my account was suspended without any feedback from their end and thus, I have lost all the posts and comments.
However, thanks to Google cache, I can start rebuilding the blog, and I will be doing that over the days. I have paid for two years with my previous host but it was relatively cheap (about USD 120) so I guess you get what you pay for. I have switched to a VPS now, which was what sixthseal.com was running on before I went for my enforced vacation. 😉 It’s one of the best and though it’s not cheap, at least I can rely on it for good uptime and performance.
My apologies to all readers of sixthseal.com for the downtime. I will need some time to start rebuilding the blog since I don’t have a backup (in the grand tradition of sixthseal.com =_=!!!) so please bear with me while the process is slogging along. I will be concentrating on bringing the 2008 posts up first before resuming the Hari ini Dalam Sejarah project.
Thanks for reading, and my apologies for ranting a bit, I feel like I owe everyone an explanation. Cheers! 🙂
I’ve always wondered about the concept of retail therapy for our female friends. There is an increasing trend of terms like “metropolitan” and “SNAG” being thrown around for men who likes to dress well and look good. I have never doubted my manhood and have no qualms about applying lip balm or hand lotion in full view of the entire office.
I have purchased (via proxy) a G2000 shirt (black – 60 % cotton, 40 % polyester) that just came out for RM 159. I did not get the positive stimulus from physically being in the store – trying out different shirts, preening in the fitting rooms and actually making the purchase. However, the wonders of modern technology (3G video calls) enables me to pick and choose three new arrivals from G2000 from more than 1,000 km away.
I just got the shirts yesterday and I wore the black one to work this morning. I was surprised to register feelings of contentment, general well being (almost bordering on euphoria), and renewed self-confidence while driving to work. I walked straighter, smiled more and was in a more positive mood the entire working day.
I can understand the concept of retail therapy – purchasing a new garment that makes yourself look (and feel) good, but have never been a strong proponent of it due to my less-than-healthy fiscal status. It never ends there either. I have also found myself dabbling in the mystical arcana of manscaping.
Manscaping is a concatenation of the words “man” and “landscaping” and you can probably figure out what the term means from the two root words. I have newfound fascination with landscaping the follicles on my legs to make the filum look more streamlined. I am also venturing into the nether regions to try out my ideas of color, form, line, scale and texture on the foliage growing there. 😉
Retail therapy and manscaping might come across as a little bit on the gay side to our excessively heterosexual men out there, but I can understand the appeal of wanting to look good. 🙂
sixthseal.com aesthetic tip of the day:
Deodorant works for 24 hours. You don’t actually need to apply it first thing in the morning after showering. Instead, try applying it at night, just before you go to sleep. It still retains the hyperhidrosis management properties of your underarm regions and the scent (of the deodorant, not your armpits) is not as strong/overpowering the next day after your morning shower.
Hah! I bet you didn’t know that a chao ah beng blogger knows these things.
Excuse me, I’m a Chao Ah Beng (Premium Edition), okay? Got study in Australia one. 😉
I spent a nice weekend lazing around at home with Melody and decided to throw together some burgers for brunch. Well, here at sixthseal.com, all our cooking projects requires a catchy name and an irreverent goal, so this was dubbed Project 3 1/2 Inch – to make a burger that would have a height of at least three and half inches. 🙂
You will need:
Beef burger patties Unbreaded crab flavored claws (this adds bulk and height, as well as taste) Six (6) eggs Burger buns Arrack Putih (local distilled 50% alcohol)
Melody insists that Arrack Putih (translated as “bai jiu”) is meant for cooking. I vehemently disagree, having had more than my fair share of drinking cheap local liquor. It’s RM 5 – RM 10 for a 640 ml bottle containing 50% distilled liquor that tastes like vodka.
I have to applaud the local distilleries for marketing a high proof alcohol that doubles as an excuse for cooking purposes so stay-at-home moms can live in denial about their drinking habits. It’s the local equivalent of “just a nip of the cooking sherry”. 😉
To prove my point, I downed a full glass of the alcohol neat, while Melody had 1/4 an inch of the stuff, also neat. She agreed it tasted like vodka too. This begs the question as to why we’re drinking the cheap stuff and the answer to that is simple…times are hard, my friends. 🙂
Anyway, after being imbued with some Dutch Courage (or Irish Motivation rather), I fired up the gas stove and heated some oil (coz we used up all the butter in the previous cooking expedition) in a frying pan…before remembering that the beef burger patties weren’t defrosted yet. Thus, we waited 30 minutes for it to thaw out and started with the crab claws.
There happened to be some debate about how this should be done. I was in favor of steaming it, which she said was ridiculous since the metal instrument was way too tall for the wok to be of any use.
She was all for boiling it in a pot of water with some salt, since that would not only quick defrost the crab claws but we could turn off the gas and control the heat so it’ll still be warm when the burgers are done.
I agree in principal, but boiling will result in an unacceptable loss in the taste of the crab claws. Still, I went along since the ethanol was kicking in and I was in a cheerful disposition. =D
Thus, with the disarmament peace talks reaching a positive conclusion, the beef burger patties were fried in vegetable oil. We fried four beef patties – two for each of us, while the crab claws were being boiled tasteless. 😉
I’m not much of a health conscious person, which is pretty obvious by the way I live my life, but Melody insisted on lining the plate with tissue paper before putting the beef patties in to soak up the excess oil.
However, there is on thing I excel at – The Ancient Art of Breaking an Egg with One Hand (!!!). =D
This is the sixthseal.com guide to breaking an egg with one hand. It serves no purpose whatsoever, but makes you look like you know what you’re doing in the kitchen. Chicks dig it. 😉
Anyway, I soon realized that six (6) eggs would not make a paper thin wrap around the burger patties Ramly burger style due to the volume so I decided to just fry it all and make an omelet of sorts.
The sheer volume of the unborn chicken fetal material was a bit too much for the wok to handle, but I have a trick I learned while frying eggs in primary school (I love eggs!) which basically involves moving the liquid pooled inside the recessed wok out to the sides so it’ll cook faster…
…and then use the spatula to move the cooked egg back in so more liquid egg can be displaced into the treasured hot surface area to the sides. It’s called The Swirling Egg Trick (TM). I’ve been doing it for ages. You’ll have an omelet up in no time using this method.
Meanwhile, Melody started draining the crab claws. I didn’t have a strainer but she has some tricks up her sleeves as well, and managed to get the crab claws out. She dropped one into the sink though…
Crab claws are actually made of fish meat and flavored with crab flavoring – whatever that is. The flavoring industry has made leaps and bounds in their technology and I’m sure they can make an artificial flavoring that tastes exactly like you. 😉
The problem with the kitchen at my place is that there’s really no proper cooking implements to speak of…bread knifes were nowhere to be seen. I tried my hand at cutting through the burger buns with a regular knife…
…which didn’t work out so well,
so Melody did the cutting instead.
The burger bun was sliced in half, and the beef patties layered on top of fried eggs before everything is topped with crab claws, peppered with…er, pepper, and doused with chilli sauce.
It’s a huge gooey burger, but it tasted delicious!
It’s 3 1/2 inches. We measured. 🙂
I must admit…I had a bit of a hard time eating it though…
The Queen Lounge & Café was officially launched on Friday night with an invite-only guest list comprising mostly of friends and regulars of Café Café (who is owned by the same people).
The interior design of The Queen Lounge & Café can be summed up in a single word – absolutely fabulous. Oh wait, that’s two words. You know what I mean though. The ambiance is great, and I can imagine this being the next new hot spot to hang out in town – the place to see and be seen and all that.
The Queen Lounge and Café is co-owned by Peter, who is an old schoolmate of mine. He just has this magic touch for setting up nice cafes with the warm ambiance that draws in the crowds. I remember hanging out as teenagers during weekends at Country Café (the place to be about 10 years ago) and his dreams about opening up a similar place in the future.
Well, he did, and kudos to him for that. The success of Café Café is a testament to his will and resolve, and I respect him for that. Oh, and I’m not just saying that coz I got complimentary martinis the entire night. 😉 No, seriously.
The proprietors of Queen’s Lounge and Café also own Café Café, a hugely popular café in town – the current place to be. They also have an interior design place called Mari Mari. I’m not sure about the obsession with double affirmatives but at least Queen’s is a departure from tradition – I’m just glad they didn’t name it Queen’s Queen’s. 😉
The Queen Lounge & Café was serving complimentary Lychee Martinis to the guests the entire night as well as snacks on the house.
It’s made from Kwai Fei lychee, Absolut Raspberry, Cranberry and Pineapple juice with a menu price of RM 22. Queen’s has an impressive cocktail menu with a long list of martinis, shooters and wines.
It’s quite nice, but I’m a bit of a monster when it comes to drinking so I was asking Peter for a special, customized Rendezvous Lychee Martini – just Absolut Raspberry neat, with a lychee inside. 😉
Snacks were also served to the guests from the Queen’s Lounge and Café menu. There were Madurerse Chicken Satay (menu price RM 8)…
I bumped into a lot of people at The Queen’s – this is Ita Ting, an old friend of mine from way back in high school.
Peter and Ah Tung, the two co-owners of the place.
Grace Chan. OMG, I look fat in the photo.
The beautiful people I’ve been bumping into in clubs around Sibu.
Jimbo and some other buddies I hang out with on weekends.
Datina Ting! I haven’t seen her since Chinese New Year and she’s getting married later this year. Congrats! 🙂
The proprietors spared no expense in the launch of The Queen Lounge & Café – there were two troupes of dancers with two different sets of routines.
The first dance is a very Chinese traditional dance, transporting you back to the glory of Shanghai, post-Japanese occupation.
I liked the way they dominated the floor with grace and elegance, garbed in traditional Chinese costumes and armed with fans.
The second set features svelte female figures draped in white and performing a martial arts inspired dance.
It’s a very lively performance, extremely full on and unique.
It was a great premiere for The Queen Lounge & Café and I have exhausted my repertoire of superlatives to describe the opening of the establishment. It’s going to be a great place to hang out at – the next big thing.
Congrats to Peter, Michelle and Ah Tung and all the best in the new lounge! 🙂
I just spent a lazy Saturday afternoon watching movies on DVD. I’ve not been to the cinema lately and have been trying to catch up on the latest movies from the friendly neighborhood (copyright infringement) DVD peddler. I made burgers with a twist (cooking post up soon) for lunch and we caught Mamma Mia (an enjoyable feel good movie if you like musicals and ABBA) and You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (typical cheesy Adam Sandler stuff, but has its laugh out loud moments).
Anyway, I’m taking a break today since my higher cerebral functions have been diminished due to an excess of ethanol consumption last night. sixthseal.com will be back with two verbose and photo/video filled posts tomorrow, so in the meantime, entertain yourself with these selected HDS posts (which is something I haven’t been slacking on ;)):
Taiwan Mei Shi is a restaurant that cooks authentic Taiwanese cuisine. It is located beside Mitsu Tea House, which creates massive competition for this eating establishment. It’s truly amazing that it has survived thus far with that kind of contention. I’ve never been here before but Amy suggested going to this outlet for lunch, mainly due to the air conditioning, and she was driving, so we conceded.
The place does not have English signage so I got her to translate – Taiwan Mei Shi literally means “Taiwan Food” and it opens up to an al fresco seating area. The ambiance of the place feels very homely, with wood tones and handcrafts dominating the expanse.
The eating establishment is not as small as it looks – it actually takes up two shop lots, although the second one doesn’t carry the sign board. The sliding doors to the right leads to air conditioned comfort – a blessing in the heatwave that Sibu is experiencing right now.
There is a net inside the air conditioned compartment with photos of the clientèle in compromising positions…eating. I asked about the photos and the friendly proprietor told us it is their practice to take photographs of happy diners and clip it onto the net for your viewing pleasure. I like that concept and got her to pose for a photo in front of the netting.
Amy had hot Milo (a malt drink) which came in a squarish cup that I found interesting. The quirkiness of the angular drinking receptacle makes the presentation unique. I had the Super Greeny Jasmine Green Bubble Tea just coz I found the name amusing. 😉
This is the obligatory shot with the waitress. I noticed that she didn’t look at the digicam in each of the four shots that my colleague took…and we finally figured out the reason why. She didn’t look us straight in the eye while taking orders too! Some people shy, okay? 🙂
Back to the food, we ordered four dishes: Taiwanese deep fried fish fillet in sweet and sour sauce This is good, and the sweet and sour sauce is not heavily tomato influenced and tastes rather like a BBQ sauce instead. Salted egg with bitter melon Everyone liked this dish – bitter melon (bitter gourd) is supposed to have a slightly bitter tinge to it, but it was offset by the salted eggs. Nice. Sautéed beef with Szechuan preserved vegetable I love tender beef slices and the mixture with the Szechuan vegetables (which includes a healthy dose of dried chillis) and claypot style serving does wonders to the appetite (and palate).
This is their signature dish – Taiwanese Three Flavor Chicken. It came in a small claypot with whole garlic, onion slices and spring onions. I’m not sure what the three flavors are supposed to be – I could taste sweet and salty tones but the third flavor eludes me.
The proprietor was kind enough to serve us dessert for free – this is a special cincau (black jelly) mixture that’s supposed to be “cooling”. It came in a traditional Taiwanese cup for (sweet) soups – literally dessert. The two jellies are both made by the proprietor and not bought off the shelves, as she stressed (repeatedly).
It has the consistency of jelly, and yet maintains enough slippery fluidity to be slurp-able. Better still, the dessert was chilled, so it countered the heat while the thirst absorbing qualities of the second substance (which for the life of me I can’t remember) counters the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome inflicted by the MSG laden food. 😉
Taiwan Mei Shi is not a bad place to eat – the food is good and the service is great. It’s a little overshadowed by the other titan eating establishments beside it, but it’s worth your time to check out the food. However, the bill came up to RM 44.40 for the three of us, which is a very inauspicious number in Chinese numerology. 😉
I remember having a batch of fireworks from the previous Chinese New Year and decided to give my girlfriend a surprise at 12 midnight last night (technically, today). I carried the firework cake configuration to her house with my car lights dimmed and called her to come out for a while. I had planned to deploy the fireworks just opposite the road outside the house – a hit and run affair, since fireworks are not exactly legal in Malaysia. 😉
This is “Universal Battle” a cake configuration of 13 shots (which is not an inauspicious number for the Chinese, unlike the Caucasians) and I drove over to her place with it on my passenger seat and dimmed my car lights when I got to her place before coming out with the fireworks and a lighter.
She was already standing outside when I lit the fuse and was quite puzzled by my “Shh…” motions and gestures to ask her to stay put and wait:
This is the fireworks surprise to cheer Melody up, which didn’t go exactly as planned…but she still enjoyed it. Happy half-weeksary after monthsary, dear! =D
Postmortem:
I could have pulled off the fireworks stunt a little bit better with proper planning. The place was a residential area and letting off (loud) fireworks at night led to a barking spree by all the dogs in the area which woke up just about everyone in the place.
I should think everything through at least three times due to my impulsive nature and stop doing anything while inebriated since it’ll probably not turn out to be the way I expected it to be.
I had prepared a text message saying “Surprise! I love you dear. Hope you enjoyed the display.”, but in hindsight it probably left a bad impression, despite the Hari Raya festive cheer since…well, letting off fireworks in the middle of the road of a residential house is not exactly the kind of stuff parents root for. 😉
She had the remote so it would have been much better if I had let her in the car, went to a public park, let off the fireworks and gave her a quick hug and kiss before sending her back. It would have been much more meaningful (and tactful) since I wouldn’t have woken up the entire neighborhood. She would have enjoyed the display better in a private moment and it would still retain the Surprise Factor (TM).
Oh well, I’ll do it better next time. 🙂
Melody enjoyed the surprise, and that’s all that matters to me. Cheers all!
This is the first day of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations – the new year for our Muslim friends. In Malaysia, “open houses” are practiced and it is common for different races to mingle and socialize during festive occasions.
I visited a couple of houses this morning with a bunch of friends. I neglected to pace myself and ate too much at the first house, which resulted in me not being able to eat much at the latter houses. 🙂
This is what I had – pulut (glutenous rice), satay, beef rendang, curry chicken and ayam masak merah.
I also had some dessert after that – cakes and this confectionery made out of cornflakes that I really like. 🙂
Our group adjurned to the second house after that where there is ketupat (a traditional Hari Raya preparation made out of glutenous rice, but different from pulut).
This is what ketupat looks like – it’s made with pandan wrappings (a complicated procedure that traditionally lasts throughout the night) while pulut is cooked in bamboo over a slow BBQ fire.
I was presented this home made confectionery by the host and the following conversation proceeded:
Host: What does this remind you of, Huai Bin? HB: Hmm…something that should be covered up. 😉 Host: You have a gutter mind la…it’s eyes. HB: That’s what I meant, it should be covered up with sunglasses. What did you think I mean? Lingerie? 😉
It’s fun, with witty banter and general fellowship. I have missed Hari Raya for two years in a row so it’s great to be able to go visiting again. I love this water feature that I saw in one of the houses that we visited.
Selamat Hari Raya 2008 to all readers of sixthseal.com! 🙂
